Piggy from Voivod R.I.P.

Doctor J

According to VOIVOD vocalist Denis "Snake" Belanger:

"Yesterday, Friday 26th at 23:45, Piggy passed away.

I would like to thank all of you for all the good words and encouragments you gave Denis during his battle.

I will keep you posted for funeral details."

Voivod guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour had been battling advanced colon cancer which spread to his liver. Denis was 45 years old.

feylya

VOIVOD guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour passed away Friday night (August 26) at approximately 11:45 p.m. due to complications from advanced colon cancer — so advanced that the disease had spread to his liver. D'Amour slipped into a coma Thursday night and died less than 24 hours later in the palliative care unit of a Montreal hospital, surrounded by family and friends. He was 45 years old.

Quebec City newspaper Le Soleil reported yesterday that D'Amour — who was diagnosed with colon cancer earlier in the summer — first entered the hospital for a routine operation, but several complications led his doctors to suspect more problems. Then the grim verdict was revealed: the cancer, already too advanced, was inoperable.

Only two months ago, D'Amour was in the studio working on the 14th album from the Canadian thrash-metal pioneers VOIVOD. More than two dozen tracks are believed to have been demoed for the CD, for which the group recently inked a deal with The End Records. However, the band were forced to put studio work on hold while bassist Jason Newsted (ex-METALLICA) was treated for tendonitis.

In a recent interview with Billboard.com, Newsted spoke about the material slated to appear on the group's next CD. "It's the most complete demos I've ever been involved in," he said. "[VOIVOD singer] Snake has already chosen his effects — exact timing of milliseconds for delay. We've had a long time to develop the demos, so there's about 23 or 25 songs that are absolutely listenable right now."

Newsted was a huge fan of VOIVOD before he was invited to join and he remains a great admirer to this day. "They created something a long, long time ago that may have been emulated many, many times since — but nobody can do it like the original," he offered.

Prior to his hospitalization, D'Amour laid down guitar tracks for a reunion CD from the legendary AUT'CHOSE, a '70s band from Montreal. That album is expected to surface next summer.

Don't really know much of Voivod's stuff. Recommend me an album.

Doctor J

Nothingface, Angel Rat, Voivod, Phobos, Dimension Hatross are all ****ing great. Great band, I was really looking forward to the new album. Damn this is bad news. R.I.P. to Piggy

Kilgore-Trout

holy **** that's terrible. :eek:
he's one of my heroes, ridiculously underrated as a guitarist.

R.I.P

Ancient1

That's sad - i had no idea he had colon cancer.

R.I.P. Piggy

Dyr

****ing awful, He beat cancer once before years ago so this is too cruel.
Piggys sound was unique to him, He's a sad loss. I'm glad i got to shake his hand when they supported neurosis. RIP


i remember listening to dimension hatross and nothingface on vinyl and being knocked sponky eyed at what i heard, For a kid who was into maiden, anthrax, and slayer etc it was an epiphany. Voivod made most of their contemporaries AND the bands that came after them sound unimaginative and utterly ordinary. One of the few metal bands I still have time for. I cant imagine them without piggys guitar sound

Geiger

Just read about this on blabbermouth, didn't think he'd die so soon I don't know a lot about Voivod but when anyone in metal dies it's not good. RIP Piggy.

blastman

Sad to hear this, I wasn't a huge fan but I have Nothingface on tape from days of yore, bought in a second-hand record shop during my student days in Manchester. Still going despite the fact I dropped it into the toilet on one occasion (don't ask).

Cancer is a ****er.....

Mr. CooL ICE

I laughed my ass off when i read an interview with them, because when they were talking about Piggy's early treatment, he said it was like one big crazy acid trip. I never thought I'd hear anything so funny and optimistic about something as serious as cancer. RIP.